This invention relates to a suspension and anchoring device for a rail-mounted movable plugging machine used in conjunction with metallurgical furnaces. More particularly, this invention relates to a plugging machine which is suspended on a cradle mounted on rails and which is movable by means of a parallelogram shaped guide bar system actuated by an operating cylinder, for shifting the plugging machine between a work position and a travel position.
It is well known that certain types of metallurgical furnaces (e.g., hearth-type furnaces with rotary hearths, electric furnaces, blast furnaces with a number of tapholes, etc.), use a plugging machine/drilling machine combination movable upon rails. Such a device can easily and simply service tapholes, or alternatively, in the case of a rotary hearth, the device can follow the hearth. This obviates the otherwise existing necessity of having to assign each individual taphole a drilling machine and a plugging machine, which would be very unfavorable in terms of both expenditure and space requirements.
The known devices comprise the combination of both a plugging machine and a drilling machine mounted on a jointed cradle or crab, the crab either being able to move on floor rails in the region surrounding the furnace, or else hang on overhead rails. The latter solution is much more favorable in terms of space since in this case the tapping platform remains substantially clear for the operating staff. However, a general problem arises in the case of both types of this machine combination movable on rails as a result of the significant forces which have a retroactive effect on the cradle and the rails, particularly during the plugging operation. It will be appreciated that these forces act particularly unfavorably on the hanging arrangement because of the considerable difficulty of imparting the necessary strength and rigidity to an above-floor runway without excessive expenditure.